


NUMB

by piadreamer



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Other, Past Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Smoking, Urination
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28980276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piadreamer/pseuds/piadreamer
Summary: Alexander Lightwood is a top level police officer, a great leader and a person not to be messed around. Hardworking and dedicated, he had struggled his whole life to be where he's now.Magnus Bane is a famous interior designer who loves to be the life of the party.A chance meeting brings them together and its love at first sight for Magnus, but he had no idea what secrets he'll unveil as he tries to make his way into the cop's heart. Will the love blossom or will it end in another one-sided love story?
Relationships: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Luke Garroway/Maryse Lightwood, Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane & Catarina Loss, Magnus Bane & Ragnor Fell, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Camille Belcourt, Maryse Lightwood/Robert Lightwood, Ragnor Fell & Catarina Loss, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 29
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

Gray clouds were blanketing the skies of New York City, roaring and rumbling, creating a sense of fright in people who paid no attention to the weather alerts that day. 

Light cold zephyrs were sweeping into the study room through the wide-open glass door, connecting to the balcony on which Alexander Lightwood was standing. 

Footsteps could be heard approaching him as he pressed the end tip of the cigarette to his lips, then exhaled, flicking the spend ashes on the floor. 

“Lightwood!” a concerned voice called and a heavily built man entered into the study.

“What now Stalkweather?” Alec said, his tone flat, showing no hint of interest whatsoever. 

As the man noticed what his roommate was doing, he turned his face away and rubbed his temple. “Are you done watering the fake plants!?”

Alec zipped himself up after a final jerk, turned, and walked inside, exhaling the smoke right onto his roommate’s face. “Are you complaining?”

“Your bathroom is just one room away, stop doing it wherever you please!” He exclaimed while waving the smoke off his face.

“Elijah Stalkweather, one, this is my house, you live with me, I don’t live with you, so don’t tell me what to do! And two, you work under me so know your limits! Now, why were you bursting my eardrums?”

Elijah sighed and leaned against the table. “Got a call from head office, there had been an attempted robbery and vandalism at a studio two blocks away. Since we are near that area, boss ordered us to go and check, she’s sending team 2 as others have been allotted as security for Mr. Morgenstern’s rally.”

With a bored expression, Alec put off the last bit of his cigarette into the ashtray, picked one new from the packet of Marlboro ‘Red’, then the black lighter, and lit it up, pressing the tip to his lips and exhaling the smoke through his nose. “Bitch! Can’t even let me have a single holiday!” Holding the cigarette between his fingers, he continued, “Go and take out the car, I’ll be there in a minute.”

  * **••••••••••••••**



Magnus was pacing in the reception area, waiting for the police to arrive. His day was going good, he got an early morning call from a pending client to confirm the meeting, then his pet cat ‘Queen Elizabeth’ gave birth to six beautiful kittens and his noisy neighbors finally vacated the apartment, but that was until Catarina called to inform that their store had been robbed and she was attacked while trying to save it from burning down.

He rushed to their studio and found his best friend sitting on the reception desk and her fiancé, Ragnor Fell, putting meds over her wounds. Apart from a few cash, nothing else was stolen, but their computers were destroyed and the sample designs kept on the table were spray-painted with black.

The front glass doors were broken and the wall beside the door had a graffiti of pride flag with a huge cross sign ( **X** ) in black below which ‘sinners’ were written. His blood boiled when he saw that. He was a proud bisexual and hated the gender non equality their society had.

“When are these cops gonna arrive!?” He exclaimed. “I swear if any of them would be a homophobic fuc-”

“Calm down, Bane, anger won’t help us here.” Ragnor said, voice concerned and worried for both his friend and fiancée. 

Magnus sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Then you tell me what am I supposed to do? This is not right! When will this society realise that we are humans too? Fucking-”

“Magnus,” it was Catarina who spoke this time, her voice trembling slightly because of the trauma of being attacked. “Rags is right. You need to calm down. Let the cops do their job.”

Rubbing his temples, he gave a slow nod, pulled out a chair from the working desk and sat on it. The rest of the time went in silence until the blaring of police sirens could be heard. 

“Finally,” Magnus mumbled, then stood up as two heavy built officers came in. Both men had pale skin tone, the shorter one had a goatee like him while the taller one was clean shaved and had a sharp jaw line. And obviously, he was the hotter one in both. _‘Behave Bane!’_ He mentally scolded himself. 

“Who’s the owner here?” The shorter one asked while the other one looked around at the state of his studio.

“That’ll be me.” Magnus answered. “I’m Magnus Bane.”

“Myself Elijah and this is my senior, Alexander Lightwood, Mr. Bane. Can you tell us what happened here?”

“My business partner was attacked this morning and our studio was robbed too.”

“And where’s your business partner?”

Magnus pointed towards Catarina who was sitting with Ragnor in the waiting area, head rested on the man’s shoulder who kept rubbing her back soothingly. “That’s Catarina Loss. She called me after the attack.”

The taller one, Alexander, gave a slow nod and turned towards his colleague. “Stalkweather, you go and talk to the witness, I’ll take his statement.” Turning back to him after his colleague left, he took out a small box like thing from his pants pocket and held it in his hand.

From this close, Magnus could feel the strong smell of Marlboro coming from the officer’s mouth making his hands itch. 

“Without wasting my time, get to the point. Your statement is getting recorded so spare the unnecessary details.” He said, his tone authoritatively, yet flat at the same time as he pressed the button of the recorder. 

_‘Rude!’_ Magnus thought to himself. Sparing the unnecessary details as the officer had asked, he explained the events that he was aware about.

“Do you have doubt on anyone? Any insider?”

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s some street gang of homophobic assholes. Who else will paint on the wall like that!?”

Alexander raised his brow, switched off the recorder and kept it back in his pocket. “Our team will arrive shortly, until the criminals didn’t get caught your studio will remain closed and under our surveillance.”

Magnus groaned but nodded. “I’ll co-operate.”

“You better!” 

“Lightwood!” Elijah walked towards them, “I’ve taken the statements, the team is arriving, we should check the graffiti as well!”

Magnus watched as the man walked out of the studio without addressing to anyone of them making him think back about his old days. He knew that behaviour and it was somehow calling out to him. Within a few minutes of talking, he was already craving to know that man better.

“Sir,” Elijah spoke, “Don’t worry, we’ll find who did this. And… sorry about my colleague, he could be rude at times.”

“It’s okay. I’ve dealt with worse.”

Elijah gave a small friendly smile. “Sorry but I have to ask you all to vacate the studio for some time. We need to search the place for possible fingerprints.”

Magnus nodded and walked outside. Once outside, he looked up at the dark sky and exhaled a long breath. The cold breeze gently caressed his cheek, calming the storm that was going inside him. He slowly turned to walk towards his car but then noticed the taller officer, Alexander, was taking the long drag from the cigarette while observing the graffiti with a disgusted look.

………………..

Alec was pissed, he hadn’t had a holiday in years and when he finally had, that bitch Imogen Herondale took it away. He knew she had a problem with him, not because he was a bad cop but because of his sexuality, because he was gay. 

If that wasn’t enough, he was now dealing with homophobic acts making his mood worse. Taking a long drag from his cig, he tapped it to let the ash fall on the ground then exhaled the smoke from his mouth, watching it dissolve with the air. 

He was halfway through the cig when someone jumped on him resulting in the bud falling somewhere far off. With a trained reflex he reached out for his gun but stopped when he heard happy barks.

“Shadow?” The next thing he knew, his face was licked clean. 

“Awwff! Awwwfff! Awwff! Awwfff!”

“Hey girl…” he beamed and kissed the dog’s head, giving her quick belly rubs. “My girl is fine now? No more limping?”

“Awwff!”

Shadow was their senior K9 dog who got shot at her leg in their last mission, but after seeing her jumping around like this, he was sure that she was completely fine now.

“Hey…” He squinted his eyes and smiled when she gave large licks all over his face. “Jeez, Shadow, enough now!”

Carefully, he stood up as the dog kept jumping all over him excitedly making him shook his head. “You never let me smoke peacefully….” Looking around, he noticed his team interrogating the witnesses, then called one of them who was returning to report Elijah.

“Holland! Who brought Shadow here!?” 

The man stopped, turned towards him and gulped. “Umm.. S..Sir..”

“Stop stuttering like an idiot and answer!”

“We… we did…”

“And why I may ask!?”

“To get the smell of the criminals. We thought it’ll be easy if we take her help.”

“You _thought_?” His nose flared as he kept glaring at the man then shifted so that the whole graffiti could be visible to him. “You’re seeing that?” he pointed towards the word sinners, “there’s a rough finish in the cursive end of each alphabet. Tell me what can you decipher from it?”

“Umm…” the man trailed off and hung his head, embarrassed and ashamed.

“Samuel Kevin, age 20, known mugger and leader of a LGBTQ hating cult, lives in Brooklyn downtown. Released last month after spending an year in prison. That’s his handwriting which is registered in our records as well. If you stop chilling and start observing the small details, which is actually required in our field, you won’t need their help in every single case. Now, get our team and go arrest his gang! Idiot! And send Shadow back to the headquarters!”

“Sorry sir. DEAN… GET THE CAR…” the man left with the dog making Alec shook his head at the number of idiots filled in his department. Leaning against the wall, he pulled out the packet of Marlboro, picked another one out and lit it, then pressed it end tip to his lips and took a small drag.

“Can I have one as well?” asked a voice. Turning to the source of it, he noticed the studio owner, Magnus Bane standing in front him, hands outstretched and pointing towards his cig pack.

Exhaling the smoke right towards his direction, he ranked his eyes at the man who was dressed in a dark purple suit, had his hairs spiked in a hawk look, had a lot of makeup and damn, he did look handsome. _‘Good meat for a night stand.’_ He thought.

“Officer?”

“You smoke!?” he cocked his brow.

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”

Shrugging, he picked another stick from the packet and handed it to the man who expertly held it between his fingers, then pressed the end to his lips and outstretched his hand for the lighter.

Raising his brow, Alec flamed the lighter and lit up the cig, noticing how the man didn’t even flinch when the flame was too close to his face. 

Magnus took a long drag, closed his eyes, then tilted up his head and let out the smoke through his nose as a wave of relief washed over his flawless face. “Thank you,” he said as he slowly opened his eyes.

“For?”

“I saw how you found out just from this graffiti that it was Samuel’s doing. That bastard, I hope he rots in prison forever.”

“Don’t get relaxed so easily Mr Bane, the robbers can be different.”

“No, I’m now certain it was him. He attacked me two weeks ago because I filed a complaint against him at a local police station for starting a new cult against LGBTQ community. I knew he’s after me but this…” he shook his head then brought the cig to his lips, took a small drag and tapped off the remaining ash expertly, letting it freely fall on the ground.

Alec’s shoulder tensed as he stood straight and glared at Magnus. “And where was this information when I asked you earlier!?”

“I forgot, is it a crime now?”

With a frustrated sigh, Alec took out a card from his wallet and slapped it against the man’s chest. “That’s my card, if you get attacked again, notify! And until this case get’s over, you all will get police protection, twenty-four seven.”

Magnus groaned but nodded. “Then I hope he gets caught as soon as possible.” He pressed the end tip of cig to his lips and was about to take a long drag when,

“MAGNUS! ARE YOU SMOKING!?” came a angry voice of Ragnor’s. 

“Fuck!” he hurriedly threw the half smoked cigarette on the ground and stubbed it from the heels of his shoes.

Alec raised his brow, glanced the yelling person then back at Magnus as an amused smile formed on his lips. “You’ll get the protection, come to the headquarters to testify in few hours.” Turning, he walked towards the car and opened the door of the driver’s side. “STALKWEATHER! I’M TAKING THE CAR, TAKE A CAB OR WHAT THE FUCK EVER YOU WANT TO REACH THE APARTMENT!” With that he drove off before his roommate could even come outside to agree upon the same.

……………….

Magnus watched as the man drove off to god knows where, pondering over how he had two different personalities in the same body. He wasn’t able to forget the intoxicating smile that appeared when he was with that dog, cuddling and playing with her like a small child. It was mesmerizing. But the sudden shift in his demeanour spoke so much to him.

He wanted to know him better, he wanted to see that smile on that man’s face often, it was doing something to him he couldn’t understand. He wanted to get into the depth of the man’s heart no matter what it takes. What was happening to him? He knew it was more than just empathy. Was this is people call love? Was he falling in love with that man already?

“MAGNUS!”

Groaning, he checked his breath, which to his dismay had a strong smell of smoke, then walked where his friends were sitting, preparing himself for the yelling he was about to get.


	2. Chapter 2

**!W! Mention of strong language and violence.**

***************************************************************************

Ragnor’s angry eyes kept glaring at him as he walked towards the couple. He knew he was screwed but still hoped that they understand.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS, BANE!?”

“Jeez Ragnor, calm down. You’re acting like I’ve committed a crime. It was just one-“

“Just one!?” Catarina yelled, “say that to your itching and trembling hands!”

Magnus glanced at his hands which were twitching, and he was subconsciously itching all over his palms. He just had one bud, just one and this was the result. Groaning, he turned towards the couple, but a piece of mint-flavored chewing gum was shoved into his mouth by Ragnor.

“The hell Ragnor!? You could have done that a little ease fully too!” he said while chewing on the gum when a box of the same chewing gums was slammed on his hand along with deadly glares from both Ragnor and Catarina.

“Do you want to go back where you were five years ago!?” Ragnor yelled.

“Jesus Christ, Ragnor! Are you going to keep busting my eardrums like this? I’m fine, okay? I can control myself.”

“Whom are you trying to fool, Magnus!? And what were doing with that cop? Trying to get into his pants?”

“Why do always think I’m trying to get under someone’s pants!? It could be more than that for god’s sake!”

A high-pitched, loud snort escaped from Ragnor’s throat. “Isn’t that what you did with Henry or James or Talia or-”

“Stop it! They all agreed with no relationship- only night stand- thing, so stop counting them as my exes!”

“So why were you talking with that cop, Magnus?” Catarina questioned, her tone flat, “Coz it certainly wasn’t for the interrogation as you both were smoking like two long-lost best-”

“Cat! First, yes we were talking about the attack, and second, that officer, there’s something about him. He’s not what he shows, and it’s… doing something to me. I want to know him, heal him.” His voice slowly softened as he finished his sentence.

Catarina and Ragnor exchanged a look, their shoulders slumped and a worried frown crossed over their foreheads as they gazed at Magnus who seemed to be in deep thought.

“Magnus…” Catarina spoke, “don’t tell me you have started to like that officer in just a single meeting?”

“Maybe… yes.”

Ragnor sighed. “Wasn’t he rude to everyone here? Including you? How can you even be sure he’s a nice person, Magnus?”

“Didn’t you people see how he was with that dog-”

“Magnus-”

“And his eyes, sometimes eyes speak what a person cannot. I saw it in his eyes, the pain, the hurt. Like he needs someone by his side but doesn’t want to get hurt again. And that’s why he’s like that, trying to push everyone away. I know that behavior, Ragnor, Catarina. Don’t you people remember me from six years ago?”

“It’s not important that he’s like you, Magnus.” Catarina spoke softly, “You try to find yourself in every person like that. Maybe he really doesn’t need anyone, or he’s actually like that, and you’re misinterpreting-”

“No, I know what I saw, Catarina. He’s much more than he shows. There’s something about him that’s attracting me. That smile…. It was there for barely a second, and it was the most beautiful smile I’ve ever witnessed. I want to be there for him, I want to know the real him….” He trailed off, mind wandering to all the possibilities that made the officer like that.

“Fine then,” Ragnor sighed, “but don’t run to us whining when you get your heart broken yet again.” He warned but had a tone of concern underneath the fierce one.

“I won’t!” Magnus replied flatly then let out a deep breath. “I’m going back to my apartment, I’ll suggest you guys also go back home and have some rest. We won’t be able to work for a few days now.”

Ragnor and Catarina nodded. “Fine, but don’t forget to eat the gums every two hours,” Ragnor said.

Magnus low-key groaned. “I know the schedule Raggy, don’t try to be my father now!”

Ragnor rolled his eyes, slammed another packet of candies on Magnus’ hand, then they said their goodbyes and left for their respective homes.

* * *

***Later that night***

***Alec’s apartment***

Elijah was sitting on the couch, legs crossed over the coffee table, shoving popcorn into his mouth while watching ‘Titanic’. After Alec left him all alone at the crime scene, he had to take a cab to reach the headquarters, only to find that he hadn’t reported there at all and was god knows where.

Imogen was pissed beyond words as Alec never reached there, so he had to do the reporting in his place and take all the cursing of that woman for Alec and their whole department in general. 

When he reached back home, Alec wasn’t there as well. He had lost the count of times Alec had done that, vanishing for hours and never telling anyone where he was. 

He had started living with Alec since they were in college. Alec was one year senior to him and lived alone. Because of the high rent, he put the advertisement for a roommate, and since he was fresher and needed a place, agreed, but back then he didn’t know what kind of person Alec was.

Now, Alec had purchased the apartment and owns it but never kicked him out. It’s been years since they lived together but all he knew about that man was that he talked less, hates people in general, loves animals, can do anything for animal safety, likes to be alone most of the time, and pretends to be a playboy which he’s clearly not. 

After years of living with that man, he knew his heart is good, that he’s a nice person but never lets anyone in, even after he had tried a lot of time to make him open his heart, but to no avail, and that irritates him the most. Nobody knows why Alec is like that even though he has a good heart. 

He was so lost in his chain of thoughts that he jumped and dropped all the popcorn on the floor when the main door slammed open. Sighing, he stood up and walked towards the door only to find Alec tripping over his own legs and reeking of alcohol and sex.

He had a half-finished cigarette in his hand, shirt half tucked out, pants zipper wide open through which his junks were visible, hairs disheveled and eyes bloodshot as if he had cried. 

“Motherfuckers... didn’t even… know… how to… fuckkkkk….” He stumbled and almost fell, but Elijah caught him on time.

“Dude, the hell!? Were you at a sex club!?” 

“Don’t…. touch… you’re… not even… gayyyy….” He tried to shove away Elijah’s hand but failed and dropped the last bud of his cigarette on the floor. “My… cigg… bloody fucker…”

Elijah sighed, carefully picked up the man over his shoulder, dragged him towards his room, and threw him on his bed who kept struggling the whole way. 

“D.. don’t… touch…”

“Dude, just sleep.” Elijah carefully took off the man’s shoes, holsters, pistol, watch, fixed his pants then tucked him under the blanket as Alec slowly drifted off to sleep. “Why are you like this, Lightwood? Why!?”

* * *

***Next day***

***Magnus’s apartment***

The soft rays of the sun fell on Magnus’ face making him stir. He slowly opened his eyes, sat upright, only to be greeted by a puffy ball of orangish white fur. 

“Jesus! Queen Elizabeth!”

“Meaawww!”

“Nice way of waking me up!” He sighed, picked the cat from his face, and kept her on the blanket who jumped back onto his lap, kneaded, curled then made herself comfortable on his lap. 

“Meaawww!”

“Really!?” He gently stroked her head who leaned back further and started purring. “Enough now, Queen Elizabeth, I have to get up.” Leaning down, he pecked her head, then carefully kept her on his pillow, stood up, and walked towards the window only to be greeted by the sight he had now started to hate.

There were security police all around his apartment, from the front yard to the back entrance, two stood beside his door. There was a police car standing right beside his own 24x7 and even one was staying with him and currently was sleeping in the guest room.

Sighing, he turned towards the direction of the bathroom, ready to face another dreadful day and hoping that the culprit gets arrested soon.

……………….

After getting fresh and feeding the cat and newborn kittens, he was now in his kitchen preparing a breakfast of toast and coffee. Since he doesn’t have to go to work today, he was doing the chores lazily but the pin-drop silence was giving him goosebumps.

Normally, he enjoyed the silence but for the first time, it was making him uncomfortable. There was a heaviness inside his heart as if something wasn’t right. He even wondered why that officer didn’t come for breakfast because he had woken him up before going to the bathroom. 

As he kept everything on the plate, he saw that there wasn’t the bowl of diced fruits he chopped earlier. He turned and walked towards the island just when the dishes hung on the open cabinet of the wall facing his back fell on the ground and shattered into pieces. 

Magnus’s eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened when he saw a bullet fallen on the ground, realizing that if he wouldn’t have turned, that would have gone right through his skull. 

Carefully, he picked up the chopping knife then slowly turned, sweat forming on his forehead as he peeked towards the direction only to find a man, completely dressed in black and wearing a joker mask pointing a gun in his direction.

He ducked behind the refrigerator when the man shot another bullet, sweat dripping down from his face and heartbeats audible in his own ears. He then carefully crawled on the floor as he aimed for that man’s leg. 

When he was sure, he threw the knife, and it pierced through the attacker’s left leg then with lightning speed, tackled him on the ground.

“OFFICER! ANYONE! PLEASE COME QUICKLY! OFFI- AAAAAAA!” The attacker hit his forehead with the back of the gun, resulting in freeing from his grip then stood up, kicked his stomach multiple times but to his dismay, the bullets were over. 

Magnus panted as he tried to grab the attacker again but failed. He tried to reach for something, but the man slammed a table on his hand and a scream escaped from his throat. “Wha..what… do you… want?”

A beep sound came from the attacker’s phone. He took it out then kept it back, picked up a chair, and slammed it on Magnus’ back. 

“Your life has been spared, but you have made a big mistake, and you’ll pay for it, Magnus Bane. Start counting the days.” With that, the attacker ran towards the back exit and vanished into thin air.

Holding himself, Magnus stood up, grabbed his phone, then walked towards the window, only to find that the cops outside were shot dead. He rushed towards his guest room, only to find the officer’s dead body on the floor with blood pooling all around him.

A scream escaped from his throat as he turned and slumped against the wall. With a shaky hand, he reached for his phone and dialed Alec’s number.

“WHO THE FUCK IS THIS!? I SWEAR IF THIS IS-”

“Of…officer Lightwood, it’s… it’s Magnus Bane… I… I… was attacked right now… and… and your… cop..cops are.. dead… th..they.. all..”

“Mr. Bane, calm down, we’re on our way. Stay where you are and don’t cut the call, okay? STALKWEATHER!”

“F.. fast…”

“We’ll be there, just keep talking to me.”

“Pl.. please… f.. fast…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the 300 hits on the first chapter. It means a lot. ❤❤💕💕💖💖🎉🎉💖💖❤❤


	3. Chapter 3

The first rays of morning sun fell on Alec's face making him scrunch his eyes, the windows were wide open and light cold zephyrs were cascading into the room, foretelling of the upcoming rain. 

He slowly sat up but grabbed his head which was hurting like a bitch. Sighing, he reached out for the drawer of the side table but saw a tray instead, which had the medicines, lime water with some breakfast, and a cup of hot black coffee. 

Looking around, he noticed that he was just in his boxers with junks falling out, all his clothes were neatly folded and kept in a pile on the chair, the pile of dirty clothes that were previously there was now dumped in the laundry bag he never uses and his desk was properly made. 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose as the memories of his drunken state flashed in front of his eyes. The way his roommate took care of him, the way he handled him, and after seeing his state, he was sure that the man went out of his way to make sure about his comfort. 

Why was his roommate too good to him, he couldn't understand as he does everything to push him away. He had disrespected him several times, been rude to him, hell, even treated him like trash, but that man doesn't budge. Why can't Elijah get that he doesn’t want to get close to anyone? It only hurts.

Making himself comfortable, he first fixed the boxers, then picked up the medicine and shoved it in his mouth. He then picked up the tray and kept it on his lap, picked the bacon, and started chewing it when his phone buzzed loudly. 

Groaning, he received it without seeing who it was. “WHO THE FUCK IS THIS!? I SWEAR IF THIS IS-”

“Of…officer Lightwood," a trembling voice came from the other side,  "it’s… it’s Magnus Bane… I… I… was attacked right now… and… and your… cop…cops are… dead… th…they… all…” the man trailed off and the bacon he was holding fell as his heart raced five times faster.

“Mr. Bane, calm down, we’re on our way. Stay where you are and don’t cut the call, okay? STALKWEATHER!” he rushed his words, then stood up, grabbed his towel, and started running out of his room while tying it around his waist.

“F… fast…”

“We’ll be there, just keep talking to me.”

“Pl… please… f… fast…”

"Stalkweather! Where in the world-"

"Dude! Why are you burstin-" he was cut off mid-sentence when Alec shoved his phone in his hand.

"It's Mr. Bane from yesterday at the other end, he was attacked right now and our cops have been shot dead. Keep talking to him and take out the car, inform the headquarters as well. I'll be there in a minute." Elijah nodded and rushed towards the garage while Alec rushed back inside his room.

_________________________________

***Half hour later***

***Magnus's apartment***

Magnus whole house was covered in yellow crime scene tape, the bodies of the cops had been taken to the hospital, forensics has arrived and was investigating his house and he was sitting on the couch in the main living room, surrounded by four cops, his body trembling as he answered their questions.

"Mr. Bane, you don't have any idea how that guy came in? At all?" Elijah questioned, as he handed another glass of water to him. The medics had done his checkup, he was okay, have several scars and wounds, the possibility of bone fracture or dislocation, and needed to be admitted to the hospital for the same, but he wanted to co-operate in the interrogation first so here he was. 

"No, I was in my kitchen when that first bullet…" he trailed off, "he must have come from the back door. I don't know how he knew that the door was broken, but there's a possibility that he did. I would have seen him from the window if he came from the front door."

"So you were been stalked, and you have no idea! Are you really that blind!?" The third officer spoke, who was similar to his height and had a lean body but a good physique.

"Emmanuel!" Alec spoke, voice stern and authoritative. "Behave! You're talking to a victim, not a suspect."

"People generally know when they are being stalked, Alec."

"Could be possible that whoever it was didn't stalk, instead waited somewhere nearby and when saw the chance, entered the house to analyze it, like how burglars do." The fourth officer spoke.

"I agree with Maureen, that might be a possibility," Elijah said, then turned towards Magnus. "Mr. Bane, we don't mean to put a strain on you but do you remember any details about that person? Anything could help."

"I guess yes. When I shot a knife at his leg, he took it out from his left hand and was even holding the gun in just one hand, there was something in his other hand, but I couldn't figure it out. And he was tall, taller than Mr. Lightwood."

All the cops looked at him wide-eyed as if he had described a ghost. "Mr. Bane, you remember all of it. All?" Maureen questioned, "On top of it, you attacked him instead of hiding or running as any normal victim does. And you're okay with not rushing to the hospital first? Are you for real?"

"Mam," Magnus looked at her directly in the eyes, "I'm an ex-military cadet, rank private. I'm trained for these types of situations. It's just that I've lost the practice over the years else that man would be lying here, injured and on the brink of his death." he spoke bitterly, the memories of his past flashing in front of his eyes and making his mental state worse than it already was.

All the officer’s jaws were on the floor, and they exchanged looks as they tried to process what they heard. "That does make sense now," Alec said.

"Mr. Lightwood," an officer walked towards them, holding a file in his hand. "We may be investigating an entirely new case."

"What do you mean, Underhill?" He frowned.

"The guy who vandalized Mr. Bane's studio, Samuel Kevin, he was arrested yesterday itself along with his whole gang, plus the other infamous gangs they were working with. They all were captured in the downtown smuggling zone. Upon interrogating, they admitted that it was them, and they only wanted to threaten him to close the studio. They all are in prison, and their trial is ongoing. This is not their work."

Magnus inhaled a sharp breath after hearing that. Till now, he was believing the guy to be the same person but now finding that he wasn't, made him scared. 

"So whoever it was, he came here for the sole intention of murdering you and our cops paid the price! Just great!" Emmanuel spat and rolled his eyes.

"Do you have a filter, Emmanuel?" Maureen glared at her colleague.

Alec sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Bane, do you remember having troubles with any other gang? Any threats?"

"None that I remember of. No. This was the only gang I came across."

"No one would try to murder you just for fun. You must have done something that leads to this attack!" Emmanuel retorted.

"Emmanuel!" Alec and Elijah exclaimed in unison. "What about someone from your past? An enemy? You said you're an ex-military cadet, so you must have made a good share of enemies." Elijah asked.

"Not possible, Mr. Stalkweather. Even if I had enemies from those days, they are either dead or in prison."

"And how can you be sure about that?" Emmanuel asked, "you left the military, so anyone could be after for many reasons."

Magnus sighed, frustrated with that man's constant bitter comments. "Mr. Stewart, I left the military for some specific reasons and never made those types of enemies that could stalk me throughout my life."

Emmanuel narrowed his eyes at him. "What about those specific reasons? Our field is never safe, and I hope you realize that."

Magnus gritted his teeth. "Look, my period in the military has nothing to do with this. If you really want to know the specific reasons, well, I was framed for weapon smuggling and possible murder of my colleague. I fought for it for over a year and won the case, and it was revealed to be our lieutenant general who was a spy and framed our whole corps for different crimes.

This was a big sensation if you remember, and I decided to remain anonymous. My life was already a mess. My whole career was ruined. My whole life, all I wanted to serve our country but lost complete trust in them. Before leaving, I made sure that they all rot in hell. 

Since I have no other goal in my life, I became depressive and suicidal and that's why all my legal weapons were taken away from me too. It's only been a few years that I'm finally well. That Studio is of Catarina's originally. She offered me a partnership and I accepted. So no, Mr. Stewart, all my enemies from my military period are gone for good, and I have no idea who did this and why!"

"I'm…. sorry about my colleague Mr. Bane." Elijah said after a long uncomfortable silence, shooting daggers at Emmanuel every now and then.

Magnus slowly nodded. "Look, I've given you the details, do you have any other questions?" 

"Yes," Alec spoke, "if it's not Samuel's doing then we need to investigate even the smallest of the detail. Does that man say anything to you? Any threat, any warning? Anything that could tell us why he wanted to harm you?"

"Umm, yes, before leaving he said 'your life has been spared, but you have made a big mistake, and you’ll pay for it. Start counting the days.' which I don't understand because the trouble I had was with that Samuel only."

The cops exchanged a look. "What was his voice like, Mr. Bane?" Maureen asked.

"Computerized."

"Sorry!?"

"It sounded like those common computer narrative voice, he must be wearing a voice filter beneath his mask."

Everyone sighed out of frustration. "Are we gonna get any clue!?" Emmanuel exclaimed.

Alec rubbed his temples. "He threatened you, so there must be something we all are missing. Mr. Bane, please focus. Maybe it was accidental, you didn't realize you're messing with a gang. Even the smallest detail could help."

"As of now, I don't remember anything, but I'll try to focus and inform as soon as something strikes me." 

Alec nodded and was about to say something when the main door slammed open and Catarina and Ragnor rushed inside. 

"MAGNUS! OH MY GOD! MAGNUS!" Catarina hugged him tightly but backed off when he winced with pain. "Sorry. Are you okay? We got so scared when we were informed that you were attacked. My god, Magnus." Her eyes teared up when she saw the dried blood on his forehead, arms and chest.

"I'm fine, Cat, calm down."

"You almost gave us a heart attack, you know that?" Ragnor scolded.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Don't be overdramatic Ragnor."

"Mr. Fell, Miss Loss, sorry to interrupt but do you have any idea who can do this?" Maureen questioned.

"What do you mean by that, it wasn't the same guy from yesterday?" Ragnor eyes were wide as he looked between all the four cops.

"No sir. That guy and his whole gang have been caught. Do you have suspicions on anyone else?" 

There was a flash of hatred on both Ragnor's and Catarina's face, but it was gone within a second. "None that we can remember," Ragnor answered and exchanged a look with Catarina who blinked with reassurance. 

Before anyone could say anything further, a man walked towards them, his lab coat covered in blood, and was holding a hissing cat in his arms. "Mr. Bane, here you go, she's completely fine now. There was only one bullet in her knee, but it got out easily. She'll limp for some time but will recover easily. By the way, she hisses a lot. I've never seen a cat hissing that much."

Magnus chuckled and held Queen Elizabeth from the doctor's hand, then placed her on his lap. "It's rare that she likes anybody, doctor." He answered then glanced down when she started rubbing her head against his chest. "Are you okay, Queen Elizabeth?" 

"Meawww!" She scrunched her eyes and kept rubbing her head against his chest, pawing her leg towards him as if answering him back. 

"I know you love me, Queen Elizabeth." He smiled and ran his fingers through her soft fur then leaned down and pecked on top of her head. 

"Maaww!"

"How are the kittens?"

"All are healthy and safe, the nurse is bringing them- there they are." A nurse walked towards them carrying a basket in which all the kittens were running around.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Alec was trying so hard not to smile which made him question whether only animals were able to make that intoxicating smile appear on his face. He then glanced at the basket but gasped and turned towards the doctor.

"Doctor, they are only five, where's the sixth one?"

"What? Nurse, how many have you kept in the basket?"

"They were six, Sir. I don't- oh my god! Look!" She pointed towards the sixth cat who was tumbling and was beside Alec's leg, trying to bite on his shoe.

Alec looked down and a light smile appeared on his face. "Really you little one?" Bending down, he picked the kitten and scratched between his eyes who wrapped his paw around his finger making him chuckle. "So cute." 

Magnus had a bright smile on his face as he looked at the interaction. "If you want to keep him, you can Mr. Lightwood." 

Alec cleared his throat and the blank expression was back on his face. "Umm, no. They're yours. I cannot-"

"I insist, Mr. Lightwood. It's not safe for them anyway if I'm being attacked like this. And, I'll hate it but Catarina, can you-"

"We'll take care of the kittens, Magnus. Don't worry about that, focus on yourself right now."

Magnus nodded then took the basket from the nurse's hand, carefully scattered all the kittens around himself then burst into laughter when Queen Elizabeth sprawled over his lap and all the kittens rushed towards their mother to drink the milk. The one Alec was holding started struggling, so he walked forward and kept it on Magnus's lap who followed the suit of his siblings. 

"Meaawww!" 

"I've never seen something like this. This is so pure." The doctor said.

"And beautiful," Maureen added. 

"Mr. Bane," the doctor said, "if your interrogation is over, we need to take you to the hospital for the proper checkup."

A sad look crossed over Magnus' face. "Can Queen Elizabeth come with me please?" 

"You know that's not allowed, Mr. Bane."

"Um, doc," Ragnor spoke, "that's his therapy cat. He'll be a mess without her, so please allow her to the hospital with him."

"Oh, I'll talk to the hospital authorities." The doctor walked out of the room while taking out his phone. 

"Mr. Bane are you really sure to give the kittens for adoption? They're for your therapy." Alec asked, his eyes fixed on Magnus's lap where Queen Elizabeth was feeding her kittens. 

"Yes, Mr. Lightwood," Magnus answered while stroking and pampering Queen Elizabeth. "I don't want to put them in danger." 

Alec bit his lip as he kept looking towards his lap. When the kittens were satisfied they scattered around and a few walked and sat over Catarina's lap making her smile. 

Queen Elizabeth stood up, jumped from Magnus' lap, and limped towards Alec then surprising everyone, rubbed her body against Alec's leg while meowing and sniffing it continuously. 

Magnus held his breath as he witnessed her actions. He was the only one who knew that she wasn't just any therapy cat, she was specially trained to sniff out the hormones of depressive and suicidal behavior, and the way she was sniffing him out, it was clear that she smelled some particular hormones, which only made him question one thing. How much does that man was hiding?


	4. Chapter 4

**!W! Use of strong language.**

* * *

Alec raised up his leg a little when Queen Elizabeth started rubbing around it, glancing at Magnus and the cat now and then. "Um, Mr. Bane, why is she sniffing me like that?" 

"Since she's a therapy cat, she must have smelled some kind of hormone that our body releases after excessive smoking. Have you…?"

"Oh, sorry about it." He leaned down and picked up the cat who instantly curled up in his arms. "Wow, okay. I've never handled a cat like you."

"Maww!"

"Mr. Bane," the doctor walked in, "we're ready. The ambulance is waiting outside."

Magnus nodded. "Queen Elizabeth, jump!" Obliging to his command, she jumped from Alec's arms and sat on the floor, her injured leg slightly raised in the air. "Good! Now come here. Jump in dad's arms!" 

"Maaww!" Within a second, she was curled in Magnus' arms as he gently stroked her back.

"Is she actually a cat!?" Emmanuel commented earning annoyed looks from every person present there. "What!? Which cat behaves like that? And is capable of training like… this? Please do a rechecking!"

"Mine!" Magnus answered, tone bitter and flat. "Do you have a problem with it, Mr. Stewart?"

Emmanuel crossed his arms. "Just take him doc!"

After a while, Magnus had gone to the hospital with the doctor, and Catarina, Ragnor had picked up the kittens to take them home, except for the one who was already tumbling towards Alec once again. Alec chuckled and picked him up who instantly curled around his finger. "Naughty boy…" he whispered. 

"What's your problem, Emmanuel!?" Maureen exclaimed. "Do you have the desire to get fired or suspended?"

"I agree!" Elijah added. "I would have punched you so badly if you wouldn't be my brother-in-law!"

"Ooo…" Emmanuel smirked. "Scared of my sister, interesting."

"You-"

"Stalkweather!" Alec kept his hand on his roommate’s chest. "We're still on duty, behave. And you!"

Emmanuel narrowed his eyes at Alec, stepped forward, and stood chest to chest with him. "And me what?"

"Be. In. Your. Limits. Forget that, you never knew how to be within your limits. You know what, you're the new security head of Mr. Bane's security team. You have a problem with his lifestyle so now deal with it!"

"You can't make that decision! I'm an on-field officer, not a stupid security guard!"

"Emmanuel Stewart!" Alec gritted his teeth, "I'm the head here, and I'm fully capable of making those decisions. So get the new team and go to the hospital. You'll be around him 24x7. Get it!?"

The anger flaring in Emmanuel's eyes didn't get unnoticed. "Don't take your personal revenge here, _Alexander."_

"I'm not taking any personal revenge!" Alec spat. "Now you better get back to work. Elijah, Maureen, check the whole house again, see if you can find any evidence. I'm heading home, will meet you all at headquarters in an hour." 

Elijah and Maureen nodded and went about for their work while Emmanuel kept standing there, clenching his fists now and then. 

"To the hospital, Emmanuel!" Alec yelled then stepped out of the house and let out a deep breath. Walking towards his car, he first carefully placed the kitten on the passenger side, then got in, picked him up, and placed him on his lap.

"What am I going to name you now?" He thought out loud while giving the kitten head scratches. "Hmm, I guess, Oreo?"

"Maawww!"

"You like it? Oreo?"

"Maaawww!"

Alec chuckled. "Oreo it is then. Let's get you all the necessary stuff and set up a place in my room. I have to get back to headquarters as well. Will you be okay staying at the vet?"

"Meewww!"

A bright smile crept on Alec's face as he picked the tiny kitten and planted a soft kiss on his head. "Cute."

* * *

***Few hours later***

***Magnus' farmhouse***

It had been hours now after Magnus had returned from the hospital and shifted to his farmhouse since his house was under police surveillance as a crime scene, and he couldn't use it yet. Apart from those deep wounds, he had a slight bone dislocation in his arm but nothing severe, so he was discharged from the hospital and was provided a home nurse until he gets completely well.

Emmanuel had been assigned as his security head and was staying with him at his farmhouse along with a dozen cops guarding every inch of the house. 

"Don't you have alcohol at this place!? My energy level is going down, and I need something strong!" Emmanuel said as he flopped down on the couch, going through the pile of magazines kept on the coffee table.

"Really officer!? You want a drink? On duty?" Magnus was in the kitchen, guiding his nurse about his daily eating schedule while preparing food for Queen Elizabeth. "You know I can complain about it, right?"

"Listen!" Emmanuel exclaimed, "don't you dare threaten me ever again! I know how to do my duty so you better not interfere in my ways. Now do you have alcohol or not!?"

"Don't take out your frustration of Mr. Lightwood on me ever again! I don't like being used as a damn medium so do anything but yell at me for no fucking reason! And I hope you got it!" He said bitterly then picked up the food bowl and kept it in front of the cat's bed. "QUEEN ELIZABETH! COME HERE! EAT YOUR FOOD!" 

"Maawww!" The cat appeared out of nowhere, jumped on Magnus's shoulder, and started kneading. "Maawww!"

"Eat Queen Elizabeth!" Magnus chuckled when she jumped down and started nibbling on her food then walked towards the counter, picked up the chicken salad, juice, and one beer bottle then walked towards the couch, handed the bottle to Emmanuel, and sat opposite to him, chewing on his salad.

"How do you know it was about Alec?" Emmanuel asked as he took the sip out of it. "I'm anyway frustrated because of this stupid guarding duty!" 

"Do I look that blind Mr. Stewart?" Emmanuel cocked his brow making him sigh. "The sexual frustration you and Mr. Lightwood were radiating was as bright as the sun above a beach. I'm sure even Queen Elizabeth felt that. Right Queen Elizabeth?"

"Maww!"

"See?"

Emmanuel cleared his throat and took another sip of his beer. "Do you really have to make me feel embarrassed!? I already have to bear this guarding duty and now this?"

"If you're expecting that I'll be dominated by your stupid sass and your personality then you're mistaken. Just because I'm being generous doesn't mean I have a submissive nature. I'm ten times dominant than you and Mr. Lightwood combined."

"Two cats in one room makes a brawl go wild…" Emmanuel whispered.

"So…" Magnus started, "boyfriends?" He questioned, knowing that it was wrong to query about their personal lives, but he couldn't help it, he was already falling in love with Alec in some ways.

"Ex," Emmanuel corrected. "Ex-boyfriend. And if you're asking to find whether Alec is available or not, don't even think about it!"

Magnus frowned as he kept the juice glass back on the table. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not blind either, Mr. Bane," Emmanuel said flatly. "You have a certain glint in your eyes whenever you look at or talk about Alec. A glint that speaks of love at first sight. And I know because I fell in love with him at our first meet too. But that guy…." He trailed off as his features changed from longing to utter hatred.

"Is... is he that complicated?"

"Complicated will be an understatement, Mr. Bane. He's a sadist. A true sadist who only knows how to treat others like trash. Trust, love, care, words like that don't exist in his dictionary. You'll either be a living sex toy or a use-and-throw piece of shit. If you want to get your life ruined, then go ahead and try yourself. But don't complain that you haven't been warned. That guy doesn't have a heart, he wants a fucking servant who does everything as he please. Just a servant. Don't mistake his sweet smile or charming looks for his personality. He's anything but a kind-hearted person."

As Magnus listened to his bitter, hateful ranting carefully, one major thing he noticed was that the key to knowing anything about Alec Lightwood was empathy and understanding. If you lack those no matter how good you are, you'll end up hurting yourself in the process, just as this Emmanuel did.

"I'm sorry to say Mr. Stewart but, just because you two have a failed relationship doesn't mean everyone will. Maybe it needs more patience and time to understand Mr. Lightwood."

"One and half years is a fair amount of time Mr. Bane."

Magnus’s eyes widened while Emmanuel kept swallowing the beer in large gulps. "What? One and half years? I…"

"That man is nothing but a monster. Don't fall for him, you'll regret it. I do, and I'll advise this to every person who will try to get close to him."

Magnus sighed as he played with the food on the plate, losing his appetite altogether after learning the insights of Alec's relationship and personality. Surely because of some reasons, Emmanuel must be overexaggerating things, but there must be some truth behind those claims. Was Alec truly like that or were there things that were hidden from everyone's eyes? In either way, Magnus was adamant about trying to find a way through that man's heart.

* * *

***Unknown POV***

A door creaked as a man covered in a black hoodie and pants slid it open and walked inside the darkroom where the only source of light was the flickering light bulb and a red oscillating tiny bulb in the second room.

"Boss, I'm here."

 _"Tell me, phoenix, what news have you brought."_ A man sitting on the rotting small couch in the middle of the room asked, voice deep and echoing in the room as he ran his glove-covered fingers over a pistol he was holding. 

"Magnus Bane has been transferred to his farmhouse in the outskirts of Brooklyn, but his security has been doubled. It won't be easy to attack him there this time. If we do, it'll be all over the news as there are over 15 cops and the security head is Emmanuel Stewart."

_"Hmm… that's interesting. Anything else phoenix?"_

"Yes, boss. You were right about him. It's exactly what you told me. It's true. What do you want me to do next? Threaten or kill?"

_"Neither, phoenix. I have a new plan. A plan that will show Magnus Bane what happens when he becomes an obstacle in our way. Inform our members that a meeting is going to take place in an hour. And the ones who failed to show, will not see tomorrow's sun."_

"Yes, boss. Will do." With that, the man walked out, branches of fallen trees cracking beneath his feet, moonlight falling over him casting a dark shadow behind him as he vanished into the darkness of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoped y'all liked the first chapter. Let me know in the comments your thoughts and feedbacks.
> 
> P.S. The updates will be slow, so I hope you guys won't mind. :)


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